Black Walnut Pie: A Wonderful Fall Foraged Treat

Black Walnut trees (Juglan nigra) are found growing in sunny area in most central and eastern parts of the United States. It is a deciduous tree that often grows to 130 feet.

The bark of the black walnut is deeply ridged and forms a diamond pattern. Its leaves are compound and are arranged alternately on the stem.

Gathering black walnuts is the easiest part of the process. When ready in the fall, the nuts will just fall to the ground. There are tools available to help collect them if you are so inclined. I go into detail concerning harvesting, hulling, curing and cracking black walnuts here.

Using Black Walnuts

Although the taste is quite different, black walnuts may be used to replace English walnuts in any recipe. They can replace other nuts as well and I’ve taken my pecan pie recipe and replaced the pecans to make this black walnut pie recipe. It’s really delicious.

Black Walnuts

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Black Walnut Pie

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: walnuts

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 people

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 6 1/3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 - 4 tablespoons cold water

For the Filling

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups black walnuts soaked and dried*

Instructions

For the Crust

• Mix flour and salt. Cut in butter until the butter is the size of peas.
• Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Mix with a fork until the flour is moist and it forms a ball. Don’t over mix.
• Shape into a flattened round on a lightly floured surface. Roll until the pastry is 2" larger than an inverted 9" pie plate.
• Place pastry in pie plate. Fold and roll pastry edge under and flute as desired.

For the Filling

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Place rack at the lowest position in your oven.
• In a large bowl, beat eggs.
• Add maple syrup, coconut sugar, melted butter and vanilla. Blend well.
• Stir in black walnuts. Pour into the pie shell and bake for 35 – 40 minutes until golden brown and the filling is set.

Notes

* For easier digestion and fantastic flavor soak and dry the black walnuts ahead of time. Place 2 cups of nuts in a bowl. Add 1 t of sea salt and cover the nuts with water. Stir to dissolve the salt. Allow to sit for 6 – 8 hours. Drain and dehydrate in a dehydrator or in your oven at just under 150 degrees for 8 – 12 hours, or until completely dry and crisp.

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